~ Change is what makes life exciting!

Monthly Archives: May 2016

My family has always said I’m a dreamer. People I meet have always questioned (and been confused) how my two careers in life could be so different (pastry chef, formerly, and registered veterinary technician currently). I’ve always wondered why I felt the need to keep on searching for that “thing,” that “feeling.” What do we all need to feel content, fulfilled, happy? Will this book lend some insight to these questions?

As the Introduction to Wellth, by Jason Wachob, explains, “whether we like it or not, everything is connected: our minds, our bodies, and our environment. The mind and body are not separate, they’re one…If we’re out of touch with the mind or the body, then we’re not truly healthy because we’re disconnected from the self.” (Pg.5)

A little bit of self-help, a lot of common sense, and a new way of looking at things is the emphasis. What your neighbor does may or may not be what you need and vice versa. Life isn’t a “one size fits all” sort of thing. And what worked when you were twenty or thirty or forty may not be what you need now!

The book is divided into sections based on different aspects of life that people seek help with: eating, moving, finding a fulfilling career, love, etc. Each is filled with helpful information on why and how to improve these things, but the stand-out theme is to do what’s right for your being and what’s best for your health (physical, mental, spiritual, all of it). The suggestions aren’t difficult and don’t require too much except the willingness and the want to make yourself better for yourself, no one else.

If you’re looking to change one or all aspects of your life, you’ll find at least one gem of insight that you can start out with. If you’re more motivated, you can improve as many aspects as you’d like.

The author uses his own examples of what he’s gone through to explain the general idea of each section, but you should insert your own story. This is your journey and your life and it’s all within your control, whether it always feels that way or not. This book is positivity without unrealistic expectations or goals for its readers.

If you’re not quite satisfied, longing for more, not feeling all there, tired, feeling powerless, know you could be happier, or anything short of fulfilled and content, I recommend that you give this a read. Unless you’re completely closed off to help and guidance, you’ll benefit. Every day is a new day and every morning is a chance to start fresh.

Share this:

Like this:

I’ve been waiting at my doorstep for this cookbook – Home Cooked by Anya Fernald. The title itself should appeal to everyone who loves to cook at home – it’s simple, homey, and to the point.

Right from the start, I was captured. I love the introduction. Honestly, I wish it was longer. I find Anya Fernald’s life story fascinating and I wish I could have traveled along with her as she learned about cheese-making and how Europeans (and the like) made organic farm living so effortless and natural. I currently feel as if I barely have time to take out something to thaw for dinner and I’m always scouring recipes, looking for something different but not terribly complicated. From the sound of it, it’s a simple way of life for many and I’m envious.

I love the Building Blocks concept she describes in the book. I realize it’s not a new thing, but in today’s world, at least in the States, it seems so foreign with most people barely having time to eat a home cooked meal, let alone spend hours preparing and cooking for that meal. That’s why I love this chapter. It’s about spending a little time making a lot of base ingredients when the produce or products are abundant to then freeze/can/save to use at a later date when there isn’t necessarily as much time. Such things include broths, canned vegetables, and lots of sauces that can be used for a variety of meals. I have two refrigerator/freezers and one chest freezer…why am I not doing more of this!?

Welcome is full of little delights that are served as guests arrive or as they chat at your home before the big meal is served. Anya says snacks and starters should be special, but not work intensive. You should do more than throwing a bowl of nuts together, but not too much as to fill up your guests before the main event. Making fresh ricotta is something I’ve always wanted to do and since she makes it look so easy, I am definitely going to finally do it. You can see the Italian influence in these recipes: the fresh cheeses, offal dishes like lamb hearts and chicken hearts (not sure I or my family are that adventurous yet), sardines, and fresh breads like focaccia. With a few cocktail recipes thrown in, you can have a delicious and quickly prepared cocktail party ready at your fingertips.

Fernald gives her successful tips on throwing a party. While I’m a veteran party-thrower myself, I am still honing my skills and I am constantly working to reduce my menu sizes. My husband always says that if I’m cooking, we could feed the entire city AND an army. Like I said, I’m still working on it. I do like that she says no matter how elaborate her dinner parties become, she still remains unstressed. That is a lesson I could learn from over and over again. That and delegating.

The way she eats is very representative of the way she lives her life and runs her business. She’s made a commitment to use the whole animal and says that she eats offal at least once a week for that reason (that and it’s rich in iron). Once she’s decided which meat she’ll be serving, she rounds out her menu with seasonal vegetables from the farmer’s market. Homemade pastas are something special. I’m pretty confidant that only professional chefs make it at home for themselves so when it shows up at a dinner party, you know it’s a meal you’ll remember for a long time. There are lots of recipes involving homemade pasta with different sauces or toppings such as ragu, cheese, olive oil, or butter.

I’m always looking for new ways to use well-known vegetables in different ways and there are plenty of recipes to help you mix it up. The Fish and Meat recipes will keep you and your guests full. There are enough recipes for an entire month’s worth of dinner parties so get to planning!

Ah, the sweet spot…dessert. You can truly wow and amaze your guests by ending with a dessert they’ve never had before. Trust me. You can get creme brûlée anywhere, but no one in my family will eat it anywhere but at my house. Yes, it’s that good. From ricotta cheesecake to a walnut tart or panforte, you’ll make something everyone will like.

While the recipes are quite rustic and definitely not anything like the fancy, chic plates you’ll find at the most expensive restaurants, those down-to-earth recipes are the ones people make at home anyway. While some of the ingredients may be part of an Italian or European culture, most dishes are made with ingredients you’d have in your home or that you can quickly run to the store to pick up. A few recipes may take some practice (pasta, cheese, sausage), but others should be simple to pick up (sauces, vegetable recipes, desserts).

I can see my family gathered around the table for hearty meals served family-style. Laughing, smiling, enjoying each other’s company over fresh, organic foods truly made with love.

Like this:

I love a good cookbook that touts being able to eat things that taste “bad” for you but aren’t really, or at least not nearly as much as the real thing. It helps to have recipes to go to during the week when you’re trying to eat healthy at least 5 our of the 7 days of the week. I was hoping to find lots of go-to meals for during the week so splurging on the weekend would be so much more fun.

As a fanatic of nutrition and eating (mostly) healthy without sacrificing good food, I like the concept of this book. Diets may work for a period of time, but usually sooner rather than later there’s a birthday party with cake, a celebratory dinner with drinks and dessert, a difficult time where emotional eating seems like a good idea, or, worst of all for the waistline, all of the above.

The Introduction is a short summary of how Andie Mitchell came to write this cookbook, her weight loss journey, and how she lives her life and maintains her weight.

Let me start off by saying the pictures are lovely to look at. There’s a photo for every recipe which is quite useful when trying to recreate it yourself. The nutritional information is listed for each recipe as well. This makes it especially easy for you to log meals into your weight loss app or count your calories for the day, or whatever it is that you do with your meals. If you don’t do any of those things, just ignore that part.

In the breakfast section, there aren’t too many novel dishes, but the ingredients lend a unique aspect to them. For instance, we all know granola, oatmeal, and muffins are staples so no big deal. But adding lots of veggies, or swapping out for healthier ingredients make small but hopefully meaningful changes in the way we start our days.

The lunch section includes, you guessed it, lots of salads. Salads are your best friend for weight loss because they fill you up without a bunch of calories, unless you drown it in dressing…okay yes, I like dressing. The salads do sound delicious, especially the Italian chopped salad. There are heartier options like a black bean burger or petite/mini lasagne. You can surely find a great option that will fill you up without weighing you down. The salads could be prepared a la mason jar style if you wanted to take it to work too. Just pack the dressing separately and shake it all together when you’re ready to eat.

Vegetables and Sides have some great options it you’re trying to fill up on the “good” stuff instead of the really good stuff like junk food. Roasted broccoli, kale chips, smashed potatoes, and a variety of salads round out this section. Basically, if you don’t think your lunch or dinner is going to be sufficient enough to keep you out of the refrigerator at 10pm or stop you from reaching for that pint of ice cream, add one of these dishes to your meal. You’ll be glad you ate the vegetables.

Ah, dinnertime. It’s probably my favorite time that involves nutritious food. I’m pretty sure dessert isn’t a meal, at least to most of the world. There is a variety of protein with the emphasis being on chicken and then fish. Obviously both are lower calorie options so it makes sense. This section has about twice as many recipes as the others, but it’s the one meal we all mostly eat at home so I’m happy that more time was put into making this part beefier. There are also a couple vegetarian options that could also be used as sides to another dish.

Each recipe is pretty light when it comes down to it. There aren’t a lot of dense and heavy carb dishes or heavily sauced items. Dinner should really be the smallest meal of the day anyway. All the meals are family-friendly too so you can avoid the short order cook mentality in your home, especially if you have children. Everyone will love these recipes.

The For Sharing section is a family-style take on some recipes, but they really could have just been included in other sections.

Finally, my favorite section of all, All Things Sweet. Dessert is the best part of a meal, but also the hardest to say no to, the hardest to portion control (as I sit here eating a whole roll of Thin Mints that I’ve been keeping in the freezer), and probably the worst things to end your day with, at least if you’re trying to lose weight. It’s also the “meal” that people love eating when they know that it’s “healthier” than it would have been had they not made wiser substitutions.

With an average of 500 calories for each serving of dessert, it’s a bit on the high side. The cookies range around 150 calories per cookie, but that’s pretty average. When it comes down to it, you need sugar, usually some sort of flour, and eggs and/or oil to make most recipes work. It’s really hard to get away from all those things and still maintain a dessert that’s worth it, especially in taste. I’d say to use these recipes sparingly and still for special occasions, but they do all sound delicious. Peanut butter pie, apple crips, cream-filled donuts…yes please!

Overall, if you’re in need of maintenance meal recipes and you’ve done most of the hard work already, this book is for you. There are some great options for every time of the day and you can mix and match recipes depending upon your caloric needs. Again, I’d probably stay away from the dessert section most days, especially if you’re like me and cannot resist the slightest temptation of sweets, but there are some great recipes that you could use for a weekend splurge or birthday treat.

What was promised from the beginning was delivered upon and I’ll definitely be adding some of these easy recipes to my repertoire. Summer’s coming soon and there is no reason to be weighed down by food when I’d rather be enjoying everything life has to offer.